Support assembly



June 14, 1960 H. P. PETERS 2,940,711

SUPPORT ASSEMBLY Filed NOV. 12, 1957 INVENTOR. HAROLD P PTRS United States Patent O i SUPPORT ASSENIBLY Harold P. Peters, Evansville, Ind., assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., a corporation-of Delaware Filed Nov. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 695,979

4 Claims. Cl. 248-205) The present invention relates to a support assembly and more particularly to a novel form of support assembly which is readily adjustable through a predetermined range of load supporting positions.

As is well known, the conventional liner used in a refrigerator or freezer cabinet, for example, oftentimes becomes bowed or irregular in shape because of the method of fabrication or the cutting of the liner to provide entries through which certain components are later connected and positioned therein. When this condition occurs, especially in the top of the liner, it has been a diflicult production problem to conveniently mount shelves or other structures in a level position with the conventional type stud in use heretofore. It was generally necessary to have a supply of two or three different length studs on hand so that the proper stud could be used during assembly to elfect the desired shelf mounting, the particular support stud that was used depending largely upon the amount of camber in the top of the liner.

By virtue of the applicants invention, a novel support assembly is provided which may be easily and simply adjusted to various load supporting positions. Only one type of stud assembly is required to effect the various mounting lengths necessary to provide a level shelf or other structure, for example, in liners having a variable camberin the top thereof. The support assembly employs a slidable support member which is arranged so that it can be reversed and inserted into a stud fixed in the liner to vary the overall number of possible positions for'supporting the desired structure.

" A principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an adjustable support assembly which makes a various number of load supporting positions readily available, I

' Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable support assembly which utilizes a slidable support :member which may be reversed as desired to provide an increased number of load supporting positions. A further and more general object of the invention is to provide an adjustable support assembly which may be secured to a bowed or irregularly shaped area and yet which readily permits the leveling of a structure supported-thereby;

Other objects and a better understanding of the invention will become more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is an exploded view, in perspective, showing the support assembly forming the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the components of the support assembly of Fig. l in reversed position;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the instant support assembly, together with a portion of the structure to be supported thereby; and

Fig. 4' is a diagrammatic fragmentary view of an open refrigerator showing a typical use of the applicants novel support assembly.

Patented June 14, 1.960

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterae tions and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now to Fig. l and Fig. 2, the applicants novel support assembly 10 comprises a stud 11, a slidable support member 12 and a fastening means, such as a screw 14, with the stud 11 being rigidly secured to a wall 15 by any desired conventional means (not shown). Slidable support member 12 is adapted to be received in a recess 11a formed in the stud 11, with a ridge 12a projecting from one side thereof being complementary to a slot 11b in a side wall of the recess 11a in stud 11. The arrangement of the ridge 12a and slot 11b is provided to prevent any rotation of slidable support member 12 when the support assembly 10 is assembled.

The screw 14 is adapted to be inserted through an orifice 12c extending through the slidable support member 12 and received .into a threaded hole 11c formed in the base of the recess 11a in stud 11. In the typical embodiment described herein, slidable support member 12 has a hexagonal recess 12d at either end thereof, each of which is adapted to conform to the head 14a of the screw 14, for reasons to be discussed hereafter.

A projection or hook 12b extends from the ridge 12a formed in slidable support member 12, the hook 12b being arranged and shaped to receive any desired vertical support element, such as a half shelf support element 18, for example, to be discussed more specifically herebelow. 1

Referring now to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the support assembly 10 is shown rigidly secured to the top wall 20 of a refrigeratorliner, for example. The slidable support member 12 is shown in a position indicated by Fig. 3, Le. with the hook 12b at the bottom position, with the broken lines representing the overall lower limit that the hook 12b may assume. It should be apparent, therefore, that the placement of slidable support member 12 in the recess 11a in stud 11 determines the actual range of supporting positions for the support assembly 10. Thus, by simply reversing the slidable support member 12, the projection 12b thereof can assume a range all the way from the top of the slot 11b in the stud 11 to the position indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4, the applicants novel support assembly 10 is shown used in a conventional household refrigerator 16, for example, to support a common type half shelf structure 21. As is well known, the household refrigerator 16 comprises acabinet 25 and a liner 19 having insulation (not shown) therebetween, with a breaker strip 23 covering and framing the space between the cabinet 25 and the liner 19. The refrigerator 16 has a door 17 supported by hinges 22, and a gasket 24 is positioned around the inside of door 17 to provide a seal with the cabinet 25 when the door 17 is closed.

A full shelf 26 and a half shelf 21, one corner of the latter being supported by the applicants novel support assembly 10, are typically positioned in the main food storage compartment of the refrigerator 16. One side and the rear wall of the half shelf 21 are conventionally supported by studs (not shown) positioned on the side and back walls, respectively, of the liner 19. The front corner of the half shelf 21 is supported by the adjustable support assembly 10 through a vertical support element 18, the vertical support element 18 having one end secured to the half shelf 21 and the other end engaging the hook 12b of the slidable support member 12 by means of a recess 18a provided therein.

In use, the stud 11 is conventionally secured to the top wall 20 of the liner 19'. Depending upon the amount of camber in the liner and the'leveling required for the structure to be supported, the slidable.supportmember 1 2 may be inserted in one of two ways (see Fig. l and Fig.

to either raise or lower the slidable support member 12' to a desired position. It should be noted that the hem gonal recess 12d formed in the slidable support member. 12 is provided to prevent vertical movement of slidable support member 12 after leveling inasmuch as the recess 12d prevents the rotation of the screw 14 when a vertical load is applied. It should also be noted that the ridge 12a on slidable support member, 12 prevents the rotation of slidable support member 12 in any plane.

Before the leveling of the half shelf 21 is efiected, the vertical support element 18 secured thereto is attached to the hook 121; formed on the slidable support member 12 through the recess 18:: provided therein. In the typical embodiment described herein, the recess 18a is arranged so that the vertical support element 18 must be fitted over book 1% at anangle and when the vertical support element 18 is returned to its normal vertical position, the vertical support element 18 is secured behind collars 12a formed on the hook 12b. Thus, it should be understood that the vertical support element 18 is effectively secured to the adjustable support assembly and that the half shelf 21 is readily leveled by rotating. screw 14.

From the preceding, it should be apparent that the applicant has provided a novel adjustable support assembly which is capable of assuming various vertical load supporting positions to accommodate or compensate for camber in the liner of a refrigerated cabinet. Moreover, it should be apparent that the applicants novel adjustable support assembly is arranged so that the slidable support member forming a part thereof will not rotate from a vertical plane during use nor will the slidable support member move from the selected vertical load supporting position during use because of the rotation of the re taining screw.

The adjustable support assemly' is susceptible to various changes Within the spirit of the invention. For example, the shape of the head 14a of the screw 14 may assume any desired form as long as the complementary recess 12a! in the slidable support member 12 is capable of preventing the rotation. of the screw 14. Moreover, itshould be apparent that the vertical support element 18" may have a different configuration and use from that described herein. For example, the recess 18a therein may be in the shape of a T, with the collar 12a of the hook 121) sliding into the stem of the T. It should be understood that the applicants novel support assembly 10 may be used to adjust a wall member which carries a slide arrangement for a meat tray, for example.

In addition, it should be apparent that the support assembly 10 could be mounted ona side wall of the liner by a modification which requires the liner fastening connection. to be on the side rather than on the end of the 2) into the recess 11a in the stud-.11. Screw 14 is rotated v 4 stud 11. Moreover, it should also be apparent that the slidable support member may fit like a sleeve over the stud to effect the same novel results. Thus, the above description should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable support assembly comprising, in combination, a stud, a reversible support member adapted to slidably engage said stud, and a retaining member removably engaging said stud and positioning said reversible support member with respect thereto, said retaining member being adapted to prevent axial displacement of said reversible support member while supporting a load.

2. An adjustable support assembly comprising a stud having a base and a hollow body portion, a reversible support member adapted to be slidably received in said hollow body portion, and a retaining member in removable engagement with said base positioning said reversible support member at various locations in said hollow body portion, said reversible support member having ends thereof complementary in shape to a portion of said retaining member to prevent axial displacement of said retaining member while supporting a load.

3. An adjustable support assembly comprising a stud having a base and a hollow body portion, a reversible support member adapted to be slidably received in said hollow body portion of said stud, and a retaining member having a head and body portions, said body portion ofsaid retaining member extending through said rever sible support member and into the base of said stud, and said head portion of said retaining member positioning saidreversible support member at various locations in said hollow body portion, said reversible support member having a recess at each end thereof complementary in shape to said head portion of said retaining member preventing rotation of said retaining member while supporting a load.

4. An adjustable support assembly comprising a stud having a base and a hollow body portion, saidhollow body portion having an open end and a slotted sidewalLja reversible support member adapted to be slidably received in said hollow body portion of said stud andv guided by said slotted side wall thereof, and a retaining member having a head and body portions, said body portion of said retaining member extending through said reversible support member and into the base of said stud, and said head of said retaining member positioning said reversible support member at various locations in said hollow body portion, said reversible support member having, a load supporting projection extending from a side thereof and a recess at each end thereof complementary in shape to said head portion of said retaining member preventing rotation of said retaining member while supporting a load.

References. Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 163,909 Balcom June 1, 1875 1,073,230. Gould Sept. 16, 1913 1,182,702 Niles May 9, 1916 2,729,411 Cahill Jan. 3,. 1956 

